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Uruguay Population 2018

3,474,311

Uruguay sits in the southeastern area of South America and is the second-smallest country on the continent after Suriname. Until the late 17th century, the majority of the country was uninhabited until the establishment of a Portuguese settlement. The estimated 2018 population of Uruguay is 3.47 million, up from 3,320,000 in 2013.

The majority of the population -- an estimated 88% -- is of European descent. A 2008 survey requesting self-reporting of predominant ancestry found 95% chose European, 3.4% black/African, 1.1% indigenous and 0.1% Asian. A second study conducted the same year found 10% report some amount of Black or African ancestry, 5.5% are partially indigenous and 0.3% are partial Asian.

There are few direct descendants of the indigenous peoples left in the country, and most Uruguayans are of European origin descended from 19th and 20th century immigrants from Italy and Spain. Uruguay has one of the slowest growth rates in Latin America, in part due to its high median age, low birth rate and high emigration rate. Metro Montevideo is the only large city in the country with more than half the country's population, with the remaining urban people living in around 30 small towns.

Data Sources

Total population: Estimated to be consistent with the 1963, 1975, 1985, 1996, 2004, and 2011 censuses, with official estimates through 2016, and with estimates of the subsequent trends in fertility, mortality and international migration.